Inför Ryssarnas invasion (2022)

[Enceladus]

Var det inte Putin som skulle åka till Turkiet? Nyss ställde han även in sin resa till G20-mötet i Indien. Varken Turkiet eller Indien har ratificerat Romstadgan.

Biden hopes Xi Jinping will attend G20 amid reports Chinese president will skip Delhi summit

“I hope he attends,” Biden told reporters on Thursday in Washington, as some US officials played down the chances of a Xi-Biden meeting in New Delhi, suggesting it would be more likely at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or Apec, conference in San Francisco in November.

The possible absence of Xi was reported by Reuters on Thursday. Analysts quoted by Reuters said any decision by Xi to skip the meeting could be linked to rivalry with host India. They said the move could be a signal that China is reluctant to confer influence on its southern neighbour, one that boasts one of the fastest growing major economies as China’s slows.

[...]

Russian president Vladimir Putin has already said he will not be travelling to New Delhi and will send foreign minister Sergei Lavrov instead.

The G20 summit is seen as an important showcase for India, with the country coming off a successful lunar landing and touting itself as a rising power with attractive markets and a source for global supply chain diversification.

[...]

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi held a rare conversation with Xi on the sidelines of that Brics summit and highlighted concerns India has about the border dispute between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Several G20 ministerial meetings in India ahead of the summit have been contentious as Russia and China together opposed joint statements that included paragraphs condemning Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine last year.

Inte heller Xi tycks resa till G20-mötet i Indien. Därmed kommer inte ledarna för de två länder som blockerar ett gemensamt uttalande om Ukraina. Rysslands närmande till Kina försvagar Indiens nära band till Ryssland. Dessutom har Nasa upptäckt nedslagsplatsen för Luna-25. Nu är dock Kinas BYD tia.

En exklusiv artikel om läget utanför Verbove. Nasas tjänst Firms bekräftar att aktiviteten förskjuts från nordväst till sydost, d.v.s. att Ukraina avancerar.

Även signaturen "Def Mon" ger intyg på att Ukraina är utanför Verbove. Vidare har Ryssland förlorat ännu en helikopter av typen Ka-52 - kraschade själv!

[Enceladus]

Var det inte Putin som skulle åka till Turkiet? Nyss ställde han även in sin resa till G20-mötet i Indien. Varken Turkiet eller Indien har ratificerat Romstadgan.

Pashinyan Administration sends Rome Statute to parliament for ratification

The Pashinyan Administration has sent the Rome Statute to parliament for ratification, the Prime Minister’s Office said Friday.

The Armenian government re-launched the process of ratifying the Rome Statute in December 2022.

Then, the Pashinyan Administration explained that it seeks to join the Rome Statute because it would allow to hold the government of Azerbaijan to account.

Snart kan Putin inte ens åka till Armenien, trots att landet är medlem i den ryska militäralliansen CSTO. Gränskonflikten med Azerbajdzjan har dödsoffer.

BAE Signs Local Arms Production Agreement With Ukraine

A framework agreement to locally produce and maintain the L119 Light Gun towed howitzer was also signed during the meeting.

[...]

Other BAE systems operational in Ukraine include the M777 155mm towed gun and the CV90 infantry fighting vehicle, which have received “extremely positive feedback from the Ukrainian military,” Ukraine’s presidential office stated.

[...]

Meanwhile, Rheinmetall announced in July it would open an armored vehicle plant in Ukraine within the next three months.

Västerländska vapentillverkare flockas i Ukraina. Patriot garanterar säkerheten!

Exclusive: US to send depleted-uranium munitions to Ukraine

The Biden administration will for the first time send controversial armor-piercing munitions containing depleted uranium to Ukraine, according to a document seen by Reuters and separately confirmed by two U.S. officials.

The rounds, which could help destroy Russian tanks, are part of a new military aid package for Ukraine set to be unveiled in the next week. The munitions can be fired from U.S. Abrams tanks that, according to a person familiar with the matter, are expected be delivered to Ukraine in the coming weeks.

[...]

Although Britain sent depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine earlier this year, this would be the first U.S. shipment of the ammunition and will likely stir controversy. It follows an earlier decision by the Biden administration to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine, despite concerns over the dangers such weapons pose to civilians.

Reuters rapporterar att Ukraina också får utarmat uran från USA. Kontinentaleuropeiska länder som inte gränsar till Ryssland göre sig icke besvär.

Turkey’s F-16 Hopes Hinge on Swedish NATO Accession, US Lawmaker McCaul Says

“They are very eager to get our F-16s, and they need to be a NATO ally to us as well if we are going to sell them those kinds of weapons systems,” Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, said at a news conference in Stockholm. “They understand that there is a lot at stake for them if they do not agree to the accession.”

[...]

While Hungary is also yet to ratify Sweden’s membership bid, Budapest has indicated it doesn’t plan to be the last one to put its stamp on the paperwork.

In a press conference with Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom and Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs panel, McCaul said he sees no indications that Erdogan would back out of his July pledge to support the approval.

“I feel very certain that it will take place in October,” McCaul said.

Turkiet behöver Nato mer än tvärtom. Erdogan är i slutändan en pragmatisk politiker.

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

BAE Signs Local Arms Production Agreement With Ukraine

A framework agreement to locally produce and maintain the L119 Light Gun towed howitzer was also signed during the meeting.

[...]

Other BAE systems operational in Ukraine include the M777 155mm towed gun and the CV90 infantry fighting vehicle, which have received “extremely positive feedback from the Ukrainian military,” Ukraine’s presidential office stated.

[...]

Meanwhile, Rheinmetall announced in July it would open an armored vehicle plant in Ukraine within the next three months.

Västerländska vapentillverkare flockas i Ukraina. Patriot garanterar säkerheten!

Flockas är att ta i, för att uttrycka sig vänlig. Dessutom framgår inte, av meddelandet från presidentadministrationen, när och hur BAE ska kunna etablera sig i landet: https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/vo ... i-ba-85269

Rheinmetalls etablering har vii redan talat om: viewtopic.php?p=414827#p414827

Det där om Patriot är en av Enceladus-kollektivets favoritfloskler, ofta upprepad. Men med det nuvarande beståndet kan Patriot eller SAMP/T inte garantera något annat än möjligen säkerheten runt Kiev.

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Turkey’s F-16 Hopes Hinge on Swedish NATO Accession, US Lawmaker McCaul Says

“They are very eager to get our F-16s, and they need to be a NATO ally to us as well if we are going to sell them those kinds of weapons systems,” Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, said at a news conference in Stockholm. “They understand that there is a lot at stake for them if they do not agree to the accession.”

[...]

While Hungary is also yet to ratify Sweden’s membership bid, Budapest has indicated it doesn’t plan to be the last one to put its stamp on the paperwork.

In a press conference with Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom and Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs panel, McCaul said he sees no indications that Erdogan would back out of his July pledge to support the approval.

“I feel very certain that it will take place in October,” McCaul said.

Turkiet behöver Nato mer än tvärtom. Erdogan är i slutändan en pragmatisk politiker.

Det där är en typisk amerikansk ståndpunkt. I själva verket var det mest USA som ville ha med Turkiet i Nato 1952, inte minst för att kunna placera ut kärnvapenmissiler riktade mot Sovjetunionen där. Hur det är med dagens B61 kärnvapenbomber på Incirlik-basen är däremot oklart. Det geopolitiska läget och Turkiets någotsånär vänskapliga förhållande till Ryssland minskar också det unilaterala hotet mot Turkiet. Skulle det bli en direktkonfrontation mellan Nato och Ryssland kommer däremot saken i ett annat läge.

Turkiet och Erdogan har insett att landet inte kan vara beroende av vapenimport i den utsträckning det är nu, därför bygger man successivt upp sin egen vapenindustri. Men det kommer att ta tid. Pragmatismen där ligger förstås i att inte konfrontera Nato i den utsträckningen att man utsätts för ett regelrätt teknologiembargo (det var ex.vis ett misstag att köpa S-400 istf. ex.vis SAMP/T, men nu bygger man sitt eget SIPER). F-16 betyder egentligen mindre, även om USA vill blåsa upp den frågan.

[Enceladus]

Det får vara hur det vill med den saken, bara indierna hittar vatten på Månen.

Chandrayaan-3 | Vikram hops on the Moon and lands safely

This successful hop experiment and kickstart could have significant bearing on the future missions which are launched with an objective to bring back samples from the moon and also future human missions to the moon.

[...]

Since then one of the payloads onboard the Vikram while conducting in-situ measurements has indicated the presence of plasma near the lunar surface. Two payloads have detected and confirmed sulphur in the moon’s south polar region.

[...]

The ISRO said on September 2 that the Pragyan had completed its assignments and it had been safely parked and set into sleep mode.

Indiens månbil Pragyan är nu försatt i sovläge efter att ha framgångsrikt slutfört en rundtur vid månens sydpol. Den har hittat svavel, om än inte vatten.

Ukraine has photo evidence of Shahed drones crashing on Romania’s territory – MFA

“I believe, in this particular case, they [Romanian authorities – Ed.] are now studying all the aspects of what has happened. It is pointless to deny that something had crashed there. We state authoritatively, with evidence, that the Shahed drones had landed there. We have the photo evidence of the fact that something had fallen there,” Kuleba told.

[...]

In this regard, Kuleba noted that “there are tendencies to try not to escalate the interpretation of certain events by the partners in order not to get involved in a direct conflict”.

Ukraina hävdar att iranska drönare föll ner och exploderade över rumänskt territorium under natten till måndagen. Rumänien vill dock inte eskalera.

E.U. Official From Sweden Imprisoned in Iran for Over 500 Days

A Swedish citizen working for the European Union diplomatic corps has been imprisoned in Iran for more than 500 days, making him an important bargaining chip for Tehran as it tries to wring concessions from the West.

The arrest, which has been kept under wraps for over a year by the Swedish and European Union authorities, appears to be part of an expanding pattern of what has become known as Iran’s “hostage diplomacy.”

[...]

Last month, the United States concluded a deal with Iran to free five Americans held there in exchange for $6 billion in withheld Iranian oil revenues as well as the release of Iranian prisoners in America.

Still, this latest case, the details of which have not been previously reported, stands out because of the prisoner’s background as a European official. The man, Johan Floderus, 33, a native of Sweden, has held several positions in the European Union’s institutions, coming up through its civil service training program. He was even featured in an advertising campaign to attract young Swedes to European Union careers.

[...]

A Belgian aid worker, Olivier Vandecasteele, who was imprisoned in Tehran on espionage charges for 455 days, recently seemed to pay homage to Mr. Floderus without naming him.

Mr. Vandecasteele was freed in a prisoner swap in May. At a concert in his honor in Brussels in June, he referred to a Swedish cellmate in the Evin prison.

Iran trappar däremot upp. Landet vill utväxla EU-tjänstemannen Johan Floderus, som har suttit fängslad i över 500 dagar, mot massmördaren Hamid Noury.

Den citerade artikeln drar stora växlar på framtiden och rymmer antaganden och extrapolationer som aldrig skulle godtas i vetenskapliga sammanhang. Men krig är ju ingen exakt vetenskap.

New details emerge of the air incident with the Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter

As per the preliminary version, the crash could have been caused by difficult weather conditions, namely heavy fog in the area of the flight.

[...]

An alternative version is that the crash was caused by a critical technical malfunction. This often occurs to Russian aviation.

This year alone, Russian Mi-28 and Mi-24 helicopters, a MiG-31 aircraft, and two Su-25 jet aircraft crashed due to malfunctions (1, 2).

Ännu en attackhelikopter av typen Ka-52 har kraschat utanför slagfältet. Har piloterna och luftfarkosterna för många flygtimmar? Oryx listar 43 förluster.

Ryssland har i nuläget 11 967 visuellt bekräftade förluster, varav 2 286 stridsvagnar, 89 flygplan, 105 helikoptrar, 14 strids- och 281 spaningsdrönare.

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Det får vara hur det vill med den saken, bara indierna hittar vatten på Månen.

Chandrayaan-3 | Vikram hops on the Moon and lands safely

This successful hop experiment and kickstart could have significant bearing on the future missions which are launched with an objective to bring back samples from the moon and also future human missions to the moon.

[...]

Since then one of the payloads onboard the Vikram while conducting in-situ measurements has indicated the presence of plasma near the lunar surface. Two payloads have detected and confirmed sulphur in the moon’s south polar region.

[...]

The ISRO said on September 2 that the Pragyan had completed its assignments and it had been safely parked and set into sleep mode.

Indiens månbil Pragyan är nu försatt i sovläge efter att ha framgångsrikt slutfört en rundtur vid månens sydpol. Den har hittat svavel, om än inte vatten.

Det var ett f-rb-nnat tjat om de indiska månäventyret ett ämne som egentligen inte har ett dugg med tråden att göra. Men jag får skylla mig själv, som gav ett lillfinger till

Självklart försätts sonderna i viloläge, vi har avtagande halvmåne 7/9 och under 14 dagars mån-natt har de ingen annan elförsörjning är sina batterier, eftersom de saknar kärnenergi ombord.

Wikipedia har en hyfsat bra kartskiss över lyckade månlandningar sedan månutforskningen började på 1960-talet (ja, egentligen redan på 1950-talet, men det var kraschlandningar eller förbiflygningar)

Till vänster i bild (passande nog) den sovjetiska resp. kinesiska kommunistdiktaturen, samt Indien. Till höger USA. Alla förstås, förutom Apolloexpeditionerna, obemannade.

Månens aktuella fas kan man se här: https://www.skymarvels.com/infopages/vi ... 0Cycle.htm

Kan vi släppa det här ämnet nu?

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Den citerade artikeln drar stora växlar på framtiden och rymmer antaganden och extrapolationer som aldrig skulle godtas i vetenskapliga sammanhang. Men krig är ju ingen exakt vetenskap.

New details emerge of the air incident with the Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter

As per the preliminary version, the crash could have been caused by difficult weather conditions, namely heavy fog in the area of the flight.

[...]

An alternative version is that the crash was caused by a critical technical malfunction. This often occurs to Russian aviation.

This year alone, Russian Mi-28 and Mi-24 helicopters, a MiG-31 aircraft, and two Su-25 jet aircraft crashed due to malfunctions (1, 2).

Ännu en attackhelikopter av typen Ka-52 har kraschat utanför slagfältet. Har piloterna och luftfarkosterna för många flygtimmar? Oryx listar 43 förluster.

Ryssland har i nuläget 11 967 visuellt bekräftade förluster, varav 2 286 stridsvagnar, 89 flygplan, 105 helikoptrar, 14 strids- och 281 spaningsdrönare.

Helt perverst - Enceladus-kollektivet är sjukligt besatt av att citera mig i alla omöjliga sammanhang. Ovanstående ät ju helt förvirrat, eftersom jag kommenterade en helt annan sak. Sedan försöker Enceladus-kollektivet skapa ett påhittat sammanhang genom att slänga ur sig en gissning.

Den refererade artikeln i Militarnyi ger f.ö. ingen saklig information utöver att en Ka-52-helikopter möjligen har havererat. I övrig är det "it could be this, it could be that" i artikeltexten

[Enceladus]

Kim Jong-un and Putin Plan to Meet in Russia to Discuss Weapons

In a rare foray from his country, Mr. Kim would travel from Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, probably by armored train, to Vladivostok, on the east coast of Russia, where he would meet with Mr. Putin, the officials said. Mr. Kim could possibly go to Moscow, though that is not certain.

[...]

Mr. Putin wants Mr. Kim to agree to send Russia artillery shells and antitank missiles, and Mr. Kim would like Russia to provide North Korea with advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines, the officials said. Mr. Kim is also seeking food aid for his impoverished nation.

Both leaders would be on the campus of Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok to attend the Eastern Economic Forum, which is scheduled to run Sept. 10 to 13, according to the officials. Mr. Kim also plans to visit Pier 33, where naval ships from Russia’s Pacific fleet dock, they said. North Korea celebrates the anniversary of its founding on Sept. 9.

Kim tycks vara villig att utnyttja Putins desperation. Nordkorea ska få avancerad vapenteknik - och eventuellt mat - i utbyte mot artillerigranater.

Slutligen fortsätter Ukraina att avancera mot Verbove och befinner sig precis utanför byn:

Possible expansion of UA penetration of the 1st Surovikin. Based on the alleged RU shellings, UA forces have entered the manned trenches on the high ground west of Verbove.

Även Novoprokopivka kan vara på väg att omringas under den närmaste tiden. Stämningen på sociala medier är klart bättre nu än för några veckor sedan.

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Kim Jong-un and Putin Plan to Meet in Russia to Discuss Weapons

In a rare foray from his country, Mr. Kim would travel from Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, probably by armored train, to Vladivostok, on the east coast of Russia, where he would meet with Mr. Putin, the officials said. Mr. Kim could possibly go to Moscow, though that is not certain.

[...]

Mr. Putin wants Mr. Kim to agree to send Russia artillery shells and antitank missiles, and Mr. Kim would like Russia to provide North Korea with advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines, the officials said. Mr. Kim is also seeking food aid for his impoverished nation.

Both leaders would be on the campus of Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok to attend the Eastern Economic Forum, which is scheduled to run Sept. 10 to 13, according to the officials. Mr. Kim also plans to visit Pier 33, where naval ships from Russia’s Pacific fleet dock, they said. North Korea celebrates the anniversary of its founding on Sept. 9.

Kim tycks vara villig att utnyttja Putins desperation. Nordkorea ska få avancerad vapenteknik - och eventuellt mat - i utbyte mot artillerigranater.

Gamla nyheter blir som nya. Jag skrev om det där häromdan, va:
viewtopic.php?p=415398#p415398

[Enceladus]

Gamla nyheter blir som nya. Jag skrev om det där häromdan, va:
viewtopic.php?p=415398#p415398

De gamla nyheterna nämner inget om ett planerat möte. Å andra sidan är det kanske inte aktuellt längre:

John Everard, who served as UK ambassador to North Korea between 2006 and 2008, told the BBC that publicity around the possible visit was a "strong reason why the visit is now unlikely to take place".

"Kim Jong Un is completely paranoid about his personal security. He goes to great lengths to keep his movements secret and if it's known that he's planning to go to Vladivostok to meet President Putin, he's likely just to cancel the whole thing," he said.

Pyongyang knows that Moscow is "desperate" for munitions and the price that North Korea will ask for them will be "eye-wateringly high", he added.

While North Korea has stockpiles of weapons "they're in very poor condition", he added.

Vad hände med de 100 000 soldaterna som Nordkorea skulle skicka till Ukraina? Nu talas det om gemensamma militärövningar, möjligen med Kina:

According to lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum, when South Korean National Intelligence Service Director Kim Kyou-hyun was asked about the possibility of such drills, he said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu likely proposed holding trilateral naval exercises with North Korea and China while meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in July.

[...]

Amid deepening nuclear tensions with Washington, Seoul and Tokyo, Kim Jong Un has been trying to boost the visibility of his partnerships with Moscow and Beijing as he seeks to break out of diplomatic isolation and have Pyongyang be a part of a united front against the United States.

[...]

In the briefing, the service director Kim Kyou-hyun also said that North Korea’s recent testing activities suggest its warplanes were highly reliant on its tactical nuclear systems as its aims to achieve swift victory over the South if war breaks out, as its otherwise ill-equipped military would struggle to handle a prolonged war, according to lawmaker Yoo.

Kim has used the international focus on Russia’s war on Ukraine to dial up his weapons demonstrations, which have included more than 100 missile launches since the start of 2022. Kim’s testing spree has been punctuated by verbal threats of pre-emptive nuclear attacks against South Korea and other rivals if the North perceives its leadership as under threat.

Nordkorea har emellertid hittills inte gått från ord till handling. En hund som skäller, bits inte! Samtidigt ledde Erdogans möte med Putin ingenvart...

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Samtidigt ledde Erdogans möte med Putin ingenvart...

Förvånansvärt, trodde verkligen banditen Erdogan att han skulle kunna uppnå något nu? I så fall har han läst av läget dåligt. Den senaste attackerna mot Donau-hamnarna, omedelbart före möte i Sotji var ju ett tydligt budskap till bl.a. Turkiet. Just nu är Putin upptagen med att försöka skjuta sönder den ukrainska hamninfrastrukturen, eftersom Ukrainas luftförsvar inte är tillräckligt effektivt för att skydda denna. Det har jag påpekat tidigare:

Russia attacked Ukraine's main inland port across the Danube River from Romania on Wednesday, sending global food prices higher as it ramps up its use of force to prevent Ukraine from exporting grain.

The attacks destroyed buildings in the port of Izmail and halted ships in their tracks as they prepared to arrive there to load up with Ukrainian grain in defiance of a de-facto blockade Russia reimposed in mid-July.

[...]

Erdogan's office said he and Putin agreed that the Russian leader would soon visit Turkey. Putin, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, has made no official visits abroad this year, and has left former Soviet territory only once since launching his invasion - a day trip to Tehran more than a year ago. Erdogan has long said he hopes to host Putin and convince him to rejoin the grain deal.

Spannmålshamnen i staden Izmajil, som ligger vid floden Donau, utsattes i natt för en rysk drönarattack. Vidare ska Erdogan och Putin träffas i Turkiet.

Ovanstående visar att det troligen inte är någon lösning att försöka skeppa ut spannmål från ukrainska hamnar så länge kriget pågår, utan man måste försöka dirigera om varuflödet till rumänska Constanta, Östersjöhamnarna, ex.vis Gdansk eller Klaipeda eller möjligen kroatiska hamnar vid Adriatiska havet. Problemet med spårviddsskillnaderna vid järnvägstransport kvarstår givetvis, liksom det faktum att transportkapaciteten är mycket lägre än för sjötransport.

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Ukraine has photo evidence of Shahed drones crashing on Romania’s territory – MFA

“I believe, in this particular case, they [Romanian authorities – Ed.] are now studying all the aspects of what has happened. It is pointless to deny that something had crashed there. We state authoritatively, with evidence, that the Shahed drones had landed there. We have the photo evidence of the fact that something had fallen there,” Kuleba told.

[...]

In this regard, Kuleba noted that “there are tendencies to try not to escalate the interpretation of certain events by the partners in order not to get involved in a direct conflict”.

Ukraina hävdar att iranska drönare föll ner och exploderade över rumänskt territorium under natten till måndagen. Rumänien vill dock inte eskalera.

Den sista meningen borde förstås ha försetts med bisatsen "påstår Ukraina".

Svårförståeligt varför Ukraina nu inlåter sig i ett ordkrig med Rumänien. Tolkningen "Rumänien vill dock inte eskalera" bygger på att de ukrainska påståendena är korrekta, något vi inte vet något om. Här är istället en rumänsk nyhetskälla:
https://www.romaniajournal.ro/society-p ... of-izmail/

Som vet ungefär lika lite, den.

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Gamla nyheter blir som nya. Jag skrev om det där häromdan, va:
viewtopic.php?p=415398#p415398

De gamla nyheterna nämner inget om ett planerat möte. Å andra sidan är det kanske inte aktuellt längre:

John Everard, who served as UK ambassador to North Korea between 2006 and 2008, told the BBC that publicity around the possible visit was a "strong reason why the visit is now unlikely to take place".

"Kim Jong Un is completely paranoid about his personal security. He goes to great lengths to keep his movements secret and if it's known that he's planning to go to Vladivostok to meet President Putin, he's likely just to cancel the whole thing," he said.

Pyongyang knows that Moscow is "desperate" for munitions and the price that North Korea will ask for them will be "eye-wateringly high", he added.

While North Korea has stockpiles of weapons "they're in very poor condition", he added.

Vad hände med de 100 000 soldaterna som Nordkorea skulle skicka till Ukraina? Nu talas det om gemensamma militärövningar, möjligen med Kina:

According to lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum, when South Korean National Intelligence Service Director Kim Kyou-hyun was asked about the possibility of such drills, he said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu likely proposed holding trilateral naval exercises with North Korea and China while meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in July.

[...]

Amid deepening nuclear tensions with Washington, Seoul and Tokyo, Kim Jong Un has been trying to boost the visibility of his partnerships with Moscow and Beijing as he seeks to break out of diplomatic isolation and have Pyongyang be a part of a united front against the United States.

[...]

In the briefing, the service director Kim Kyou-hyun also said that North Korea’s recent testing activities suggest its warplanes were highly reliant on its tactical nuclear systems as its aims to achieve swift victory over the South if war breaks out, as its otherwise ill-equipped military would struggle to handle a prolonged war, according to lawmaker Yoo.

Kim has used the international focus on Russia’s war on Ukraine to dial up his weapons demonstrations, which have included more than 100 missile launches since the start of 2022. Kim’s testing spree has been punctuated by verbal threats of pre-emptive nuclear attacks against South Korea and other rivals if the North perceives its leadership as under threat.

Nordkorea har emellertid hittills inte gått från ord till handling. En hund som skäller, bits inte!.

Huvudfrågan var väl ändå ev. nordkoreansk militärhjälp till Ryssland, inte på vilket sätt de där gubbarna skulle kommunicera med varandra. Och vilka motprestationer Nordkorea i såfall skulle kräva. Mycket kan sägas om den lille fetknoppen Kim, men maktspel kan han. Och var och en är sig själv närmast, för att ta ett annat, bättre ordspråk. Annars vet man inte mycket om hundar!

[Enceladus]

Ryssland har tydligen hittat ett nytt sätt att skydda sina flygplan: genom att täcka dem med bildäck!

Russia Is Using Tires To Protect Its Bombers From Aerial Attack

Recent satellite imagery reveals more details of the unique measures Russia has taken in hopes of protecting its long-range bombers against Ukrainian attacks. The War Zone was first to spot the strange coverings atop a couple of its bombers in late August, but it wasn't clear exactly what they were made of at that time. Now we can definitively say that Russia is placing tires on the upper surfaces of the aircraft in various patterns.

As we have explored in the past, the timing of this move, coming immediately after the announcement that Ukraine has modified its Neptune anti-ship cruise missile to hit targets on land, strongly suggests that the tires are intended to confuse incoming missiles’ targeting systems.

The satellite imagery in question shows various bombers at Engels-2 airbase, roughly 300 miles from the Ukrainian border. Imagery obtained by The War Zone shows at least five turboprop-powered Tu-95MS Bear-H aircraft and at least three examples of the swing-wing Tu-160 Blackjack, all with tires arranged around their upper fuselages, with those on some of the Bears also extending further down the wings.

Sjojgu borde ha prioriterat hangarer framför palats!

Top Russian General Detained After Wagner Mutiny Is Released

General Surovikin was released in the days after Mr. Prigozhin died in a plane crash late last month, the person close to the Russian Defense Ministry said, speaking on the condition of anonymity, like the U.S. officials, to discuss a sensitive topic.

The general has retained his rank so far and is technically still an officer in the military, but he no longer has any career prospects, the person said. Russian state news reported last month that General Surovikin had been formally removed as head of Russia’s aerospace forces.

On Monday, General Surovikin appeared for the first time since the June mutiny in a photograph posted on social media by a news outlet run by a Russian news figure, Ksenia Sobchak. In the photo, the general appears in civilian clothes, wearing sunglasses, a hat and a button-down shirt, walking outside next to his wife in front of a wall covered in ivy. The location was not immediately clear from the photograph.

Surovikin har äntligen blivit frisläppt. Under hans frånvaro har dock Ukraina brutit sig igenom den ökända Surovikin-linjen.

Cuba uncovers network trafficking Cubans to fight for Russia in Ukraine

Cuba has uncovered a human trafficking ring that has coerced Cuban citizens to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine, its foreign ministry said, adding that authorities were working to “neutralize and dismantle” the network.

The ministry’s statement on Monday gave few details but noted the trafficking ring was operating both in the Caribbean island nation and within Russia.

[...]

“Cuba is not part of the war in Ukraine. It is acting and will act vigorously against whoever, from the national territory, participates in any form of human trafficking for the purposes of recruitment of mercenarism so that Cuban citizens use weapons against any country.”

Kuba har upptäckt ett traffickingnätverk som rekryterar kubanska medborgare - både i Ryssland och Kuba - för att strida i Rysslands invasionskrig i Ukraina. Är inte detta förfarande kontraproduktivt från rysk sida? Landet behöver ju arbetskraftsinvandrare nu mer än någonsin! Putin är verkligen ingen strateg...

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Top Russian General Detained After Wagner Mutiny Is Released

General Surovikin was released in the days after Mr. Prigozhin died in a plane crash late last month, the person close to the Russian Defense Ministry said, speaking on the condition of anonymity, like the U.S. officials, to discuss a sensitive topic.

The general has retained his rank so far and is technically still an officer in the military, but he no longer has any career prospects, the person said. Russian state news reported last month that General Surovikin had been formally removed as head of Russia’s aerospace forces.

On Monday, General Surovikin appeared for the first time since the June mutiny in a photograph posted on social media by a news outlet run by a Russian news figure, Ksenia Sobchak. In the photo, the general appears in civilian clothes, wearing sunglasses, a hat and a button-down shirt, walking outside next to his wife in front of a wall covered in ivy. The location was not immediately clear from the photograph.

Surovikin har äntligen blivit frisläppt. Under hans frånvaro har dock Ukraina brutit sig igenom den ökända Surovikin-linjen.

"Äntligen" är att ta i, men att han har fått sparken är väl klarlagt. Surovikin får vara glad om han klarar sig med livhanken i behåll. Det hela liknar lite som när Hitler sparkade general Erich von Manstein 1944. Denne krigsförbrytare dömdes 1950 till 18 års fängelse, men behövde bara avtjäna 3, eftersom Förbundsrepubliken Tysklands förste kansler Konrad Adenauer inte ville ha några gamla nazister inspärrade och övertalade amerikanerna att frige de flesta, ofta av "hälsoskäl".

[Enceladus]

Den sista meningen borde förstås ha försetts med bisatsen "påstår Ukraina".

Signaturen "GeoConfirmed" har verifierat Ukrainas påstående:

Conclusion:

- Highly likely a Russian Shahed crashed and exploded in Romania, likely after it was hit by Ukrainian AA.

- Ukrainian statement is opposed by Romanian statement 176: Based on our investigation Ukrainian statement is right.

Nato vill helt enkelt undvika en eskalering av konflikten. Samma sak hände när en rysk kryssningsrobot hittades i en polsk skog.

How Possible is to Attach UMPK Kit to a FAB-1500 and Other Inconsistencies

Claims that the russians managed to turn a 1.5-ton FAB-1500 dumb bomb into a guided extended-range weapon is a threat to the Ukrainian armed forces. A weapon that could not even be used at all because russian bombers were afraid to approach air defenses suddenly becomes usable from a standoff distance.

[...]

In summary, answering the question of whether russians technically could create a kit turning an FAB-1500 into a glide bomb – yes, in theory. Would such a product be a reliable weapon? – Likely not.

Either way, the fact russians search for new ways to apply air-launched weapons is a dangerous trend and even unreliable or poorly executed FAB-1500 would be a threat if they start falling on Ukrainian positions. That is why Ukraine, on the other hand, needs proper air defense assets to restrict the area that russian aircraft can enter without coming in range of Ukraine's medium-range anti-aircraft weapons.

Enligt separatistbefälhavaren Alexander Khodakovsky avancerar Ukraina mot Novodonets'ke och Novomaiors'ke - liksom från Kam'yans'ke vid floden Dnipro.

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Den sista meningen borde förstås ha försetts med bisatsen "påstår Ukraina".

Signaturen "GeoConfirmed" har verifierat Ukrainas påstående:

Conclusion:

- Highly likely a Russian Shahed crashed and exploded in Romania, likely after it was hit by Ukrainian AA.

- Ukrainian statement is opposed by Romanian statement 176: Based on our investigation Ukrainian statement is right.

Nato vill helt enkelt undvika en eskalering av konflikten. Samma sak hände när en rysk kryssningsrobot hittades i en polsk skog.

Inga inofficiella källor kan verifiera någonting. Resten är kannstöperier.

[Enceladus]

Snart kan Putin inte ens åka till Armenien, trots att landet är medlem i den ryska militäralliansen CSTO. Gränskonflikten med Azerbajdzjan har dödsoffer.

Armenian PM says depending solely on Russia for security was 'strategic mistake'

Armenia's prime minister has said his country's policy of solely relying on Russia to guarantee its security was a strategic mistake because Moscow has been unable to deliver and is in the process of winding down its role in the wider region.

[...]

Pashinyan suggested that Moscow, which has a defence pact with Armenia and a militray base there, did not regard his country as sufficiently pro-Russian and said he believed Russia was in the process of leaving the wider South Caucasus region.

Yerevan was therefore trying to diversify its security arrangements, he said, an apparent reference to its ties with the European Union and the United States and its attempts to forge closer ties with other countries in the region.

Med facit i hand har Armeniens medlemskap i de ryskledda organisationerna CIS, CSTO och EAEU inte gett utdelning. För tio år sedan sa landet nej till EU.

"They don't pay for oil": The ruble fell to a minimum in three weeks despite the command from the Kremlin

“Sustainable recovery of the ruble is possible only if export earnings increase, which would outpace the increase in imports and the withdrawal of capital abroad,” said BCS analyst Dmitry Babin. But that doesn't happen. At the same time, the ruble is weakening with rising oil prices, Alexander Arutyunyan, chief economist at Russ-Invest investment company, draws attention. In two months, the price of Brent jumped by 22% and is at its highest since the end of January - almost $89 per barrel. The Russian grade Urals, according to the Ministry of Finance, is sold abroad for $74 - a record high since August last year.

But the market does not see the inflow of currency. “The conclusion suggests itself: either they don’t pay for the delivered oil (or they don’t pay in full), or somewhere the export earnings are frozen and are not returning to the country,” Harutunyan notes.

We are talking, in particular, about India, which became the largest buyer of Russian oil after the introduction of the European embargo, but paid in rupees, which turned out to be impossible to withdraw from the country. According to Reuters, the “stuck” amount could be as high as $39 billion, or almost a tenth of the economy’s annual export earnings ($414 billion, according to the Central Bank’s forecast).

Something similar happened in the first half of the 1990s, Harutyunyan notes: the currency for the export of goods settled offshore, the ruble fell, and the economy lived in a state of galloping inflation.

Som bekant kommer Putin inte att delta på G20-mötet i Indien. Istället ska han träffa Xi i Kina. Samtidigt tvingas Ryssland samla indiska rupier på hög.

[Enceladus]

German arms maker Diehl to ramp up production of IRIS-T air defence system

In 2025, the privately owned company plans to build at least eight systems, up from three to four systems this year, he told reporters at an air base in Todendorf in northern Germany.

He added that missile production was being tripled this year and would be further doubled next year, with an expected output of some 400 to 500 missiles from 2024.

[...]

Buschek said Ukraine had shot down more than 110 targets, most of these cruise missiles such as the Kalibr, with a hit rate of almost 100%.

The system successfully countered an attack on Kyiv by a swarm of 13 Russian cruise missiles at the start of the year, intercepting all missiles, Buschek said.

Även tyska IRIS-T verkar inte ha några större problem med ryska missiler. Samtidigt fortsätter Ukraina att använda Himars taktiskt - med goda resultat.

Ryssland har i nuläget 12 004 visuellt bekräftade förluster, varav 2 290 stridsvagnar, 89 flygplan, 105 helikoptrar, 14 strids- och 284 spaningsdrönare.

Russia cancels joint strategic exercises 'Zapad-2023' with Belarus

Russia has officially canceled the joint strategic military exercises "Zapad-2023" (West-2023) with Belarus. They were scheduled to take place in September, according to an announcement made by the Russian Minister of Defense, Sergey Shoigu, cited by propaganda channel "Zvezda."

[...]

"No, this year we have exercises in Ukraine," cynically replied Shoigu.

[...]

Russia canceled "Zapad-23" because it had too few troops and equipment available. Additionally, there is a real likelihood that the Russian leadership is sensitive to internal criticism associated with conducting "Zapad" exercises during the war, according to the UK Ministry of Defense.

In July, it was reported that Russia had canceled its main international airshow, MAKS. The reason behind this decision was attributed to the outcomes of the war in Ukraine.

Trådens läsare skulle lätt kunna få för sig att VKS är intakt. Som synes är verkligheten annorlunda. Stridsflygplan behöver nämligen piloter för att användas!

Exiled Experts Lament Dashed Hopes for Russia’s Green Energy Transition

Having played a pivotal role in launching wind energy technology and lithium-ion batteries in Rosatom — sectors that were brand-new in Russia in the late 2010s to early 2020s — he decided to leave the country after realizing that the solar, wind and energy storage markets would all be controlled by the state monopoly, taking away any competition and genuine technological progress.

“All that's left is to follow orders and adjust to the constantly changing circumstances. In the process, you can earn a good salary, enjoy privileges, have a personal driver and fly business class, but still be completely subservient,” Askerov told The Moscow Times.

[...]

“A lot of great ideas will remain on paper or as prototypes only because the boss will decide that now is not the time. And this will be dictated not by the market forces, but by the moods of the first official [Putin] and his inner circle.”

Ryssland har förvånansvärt höga koldioxidutsläpp per capita med tanke på landets svaga ekonomi. Tyvärr har både olja och gas ett bäst före-datum...

[dr Cassandra Nojdh]

Russia cancels joint strategic exercises 'Zapad-2023' with Belarus

Russia has officially canceled the joint strategic military exercises "Zapad-2023" (West-2023) with Belarus. They were scheduled to take place in September, according to an announcement made by the Russian Minister of Defense, Sergey Shoigu, cited by propaganda channel "Zvezda."

[...]

"No, this year we have exercises in Ukraine," cynically replied Shoigu.

[...]

Russia canceled "Zapad-23" because it had too few troops and equipment available. Additionally, there is a real likelihood that the Russian leadership is sensitive to internal criticism associated with conducting "Zapad" exercises during the war, according to the UK Ministry of Defense.

In July, it was reported that Russia had canceled its main international airshow, MAKS. The reason behind this decision was attributed to the outcomes of the war in Ukraine.

Trådens läsare skulle lätt kunna få för sig att VKS är intakt. Som synes är verkligheten annorlunda. Stridsflygplan behöver nämligen piloter för att användas!

I varje fall ligger det i Ukrainas intresse att framställa det så. Den refererade artikeln säger nämligen ingenting om det som påstås.

Man ska varken överskatta eller underskatta fienden. Däri ligger det svåra i krigföring.